Four-Point Saddle Bend Guide

Hi this is Bill for Sparky Channel and today I'm going to show you how to make a four-point saddle bend and what that is it's a band that jumps over an obstruction like this and there's four points to it and one two three four and there's different ways to know where to make these bends you can consult an app on your smartphone you can consult a chart on the internet or on a book or you can just know the multipliers. So I'm going to teach you the multipliers today and an interesting thing is the Klein Tools tape measure. the new one just came out it's got the conduit bending multipliers on the back side see it's got a regular side with your numbers and then it's got a backside with your numbers this has got a double grabber here and so here's your conduit bending multipliers and it has the shrinkage amount you see now this is a 72 inch piece of conduit right here and I bent this one up to show you. I'm going to take this down and do another one to show you how to do it. But this just gives you an idea what a four-point saddle bend is. And see, I started right here, and this screw is actually the mark where the conduit starts. So if you take your tape... And you put it on the screw here and over to here where the conduit ends. It's 70 and a half inches. So this conduit lost an inch and a half and we call that shrinkage. So this tape measure also Tells you the shrinkage. It gives you the conduit bending multipliers, which is going to, I'm going to explain that in a little bit. And the shrinkage. The shrinkage is a pretty easy concept. If you make these bends, this pipe isn't going to be as long as it was when you started. And in this case, it's an inch and a half shorter because of these four bends. Here's the tape for 30 degree bends. And you see the multiplier is 2.0. So since we're jumping up three inches with our bend, we're going to multiply that three inches by 2.0 and get six inches. And six inches will be the distance between our bends. That's what the multiplier is. And then you move right over next to it. You see the shrink factor is one quarter inch per inch. And since we're jumping up three inches. That's a quarter inch times three or three quarters an inch. Now we just said the entire conduit shrunk an inch and a half but that's two sets of bends. So the shrinkage is one quarter of an inch for each inch and we're going to come out three inches with our bend. We're going to come we're going to jump up three inches. So our shrinkage that we have to figure in for this length of pipe is three quarters of an inch. That's one quarter of an inch times three. Now the distance from where our conduit starts to where our obstruction starts is 33 and an eighth. So we need to know that measurement, 33 and an eighth, and we're going to come up three inches. So let's get started plotting out our pipe as to where we're going to make our bends. So we've got the tape on the pipe, and remember that... distance to the obstruction was 33 and an eighth so we're going to add on the three-quarters inch shrinkage so that would give us 33 and 7 8 right here okay so that gets us to the obstruction now the band is 6 inches the 6 inches between the bends so That'll be That'd be 27 and 7 8 right here Okay, so and I'm going to go all the way around with the marks Okay, so now we're to the obstruction itself Which is seven and a quarter inches, so that would be 41 and an eighth Right here, 41 and an 8. And I'm going to go all the way around with the marks. So this is 7 and a quarter. And now we're going to go 6 more inches for the distance between the bends. So 47 and an 8. Right here. So there's the marks. So I have four marks on this pipe and I'm going to start with this mark right here. Okay you see I have my arrow on the line. Okay and I'm going to be bending this way on the floor from my first bend 30 degrees then I'm going to take this off and switch this. Oh, and I want to point out, this part is called the hook. This part right here is called the hook. The hook's pointing towards the middle of the bend. This is the middle of these bends right here. The hook points in. Okay, so I'm going to bend that 30 degrees, and then I'm going to take this off and flip it around. and put my arrow right on the line okay and then this is going to be on the ground again I'm going to bend this 30 degrees that way so I have two 30 degree bends done on the ground with the hook pointing in both times the hook points in both times then I'll be doing the bends on the in the air and just they'll be right here The arrow will be on this line and I'll be doing this it'll be 30 degrees and it'll be in the air and then my last bend will be right here pointing towards the middle of the bend and I'm going to bend this 30 degrees. So I'm going to start with the two middle bends. on the ground with the hook pointing towards the middle and then I'm going to do the two outer bends in the air with the hook pointing towards the middle. So all four bends always remember the hook points towards the middle. Here's a couple more bending heads this is called ductile iron it's made by Ideal and this is another aluminum head it's made by Klein. The reason I like the Ideal aluminum head better than the Klein aluminum head. This only has an arrow on one side whereas the Ideal has the arrow on both sides. Okay now I'm ready to start bending and you see I'm on the third mark right there and the orange item on the pipe is a Klein digital level and that helps me to make the bends more accurately. Generally when the handle gets to about 90 degrees that should be a 30 degree bend. Now I'm checking my digital level and I'm having a little spring back. Okay, the spring back is going to be about two degrees. That one was right on 30 degrees according to my digital level. Okay, I'm going to make one more bend on the ground. So I'm going to put my digital level right there. Now you got to get this one in the same plane. And the way to do it is... You line up your handle with the pipe. Just sight down it. And now we're going to bend it until the handle is about 90 degrees. I'm going to check my digital level, see how I did. Just a touch more. And that was right on 30 degrees. Both of those were right on 30 degrees. Okay, so now we're going to make a couple bends in the air. And so you want to... grab this thing right there in the middle. That's the best place to grab it. It's going to want to slide around otherwise. So okay I put it right there in the hook and you got you have to put that line right on the arrow. Now you got a sight. You have moved back and sight that thing right down the line and there I bend it to 30 degrees. Now you take it out you grab it right there see. And you switch it around. See, I'm grabbing it right in the middle. That's a good point. Okay, now I'm going to put the arrow right on the mark again. And I'm going to sight again. If you don't sight and get it right, you're going to get what's called a dog leg, which is a crooked bend. You don't want any dog legs. So you sight it real good. And then there's 30 degrees right there. Okay. Now put it down on the ground and check it. You can't quite see it. I got out of the camera there. It's just a touch off. I'm going to give a little adjustment. And there it is. It's perfect. I decided down make sure you didn't get any dog legs and so I like that I like the bend and I put a little piece of white tape on one end so I remember what end goes there it actually says left on it that little piece of white tape okay so this fitting I've set up so it just slides over okay here's your marks right here you see the obstruction got right in the middle there right where it's supposed to be Between those two marks, so I got that lined up just right and you see the other two marks there For the bends so now I've tightened down the fittings and the one-hole strap And it all looks good and now I'm going to clean up the pencil marks That's why I did it in pencil so that you can clean them real well and make your work look professional See how much better it looks without Pencil marks or sharpie marks. Now I did this four point saddle bend using 30 degree angles. You can use different angles like 22 and a half degrees, but you're going to have a longer bend. You're going to use up more space doing a 22 and a half degree bend. If you use 45 degree bends, then it'll be a shorter space, but it'll be a little harder to run your wires. So 30 degree bends a good compromise and a lot of people like to use the 30 degree bends for this kind of work. I'll put links in my video description for the Klein magnetic 25 foot tape measure with conduit bending tables and for the Klein digital magnetic level. I'll also put links for Klein and Ideal conduit benders in the 1.5 inch, 3.25 inch and 1 inch sizes both in aluminum and in ductile iron. And I'll put a link for the Klein full brim hard hat. I'll also put links for Klein kneeling pads which really save wear and tear on your knees. Thanks, I hope this video was helpful.

But this just gives you an idea what a four-point saddle bend is. And see, I started right here, and this screw is actually the mark where the conduit starts. So if you take your tape... And you put it on the screw here and over to here where the conduit ends. It's 70 and a half inches.

So this conduit lost an inch and a half and we call that shrinkage. So this tape measure also Tells you the shrinkage. It gives you the conduit bending multipliers, which is going to, I'm going to explain that in a little bit. And the shrinkage.

The shrinkage is a pretty easy concept. If you make these bends, this pipe isn't going to be as long as it was when you started. And in this case, it's an inch and a half shorter because of these four bends.

Here's the tape for 30 degree bends. And you see the multiplier is 2.0. So since we're jumping up three inches with our bend, we're going to multiply that three inches by 2.0 and get six inches.

And six inches will be the distance between our bends. That's what the multiplier is. And then you move right over next to it.

You see the shrink factor is one quarter inch per inch. And since we're jumping up three inches. That's a quarter inch times three or three quarters an inch.

Now we just said the entire conduit shrunk an inch and a half but that's two sets of bends. So the shrinkage is one quarter of an inch for each inch and we're going to come out three inches with our bend. We're going to come we're going to jump up three inches. So our shrinkage that we have to figure in for this length of pipe is three quarters of an inch. That's one quarter of an inch times three.

Now the distance from where our conduit starts to where our obstruction starts is 33 and an eighth. So we need to know that measurement, 33 and an eighth, and we're going to come up three inches. So let's get started plotting out our pipe as to where we're going to make our bends.

So we've got the tape on the pipe, and remember that... distance to the obstruction was 33 and an eighth so we're going to add on the three-quarters inch shrinkage so that would give us 33 and 7 8 right here okay so that gets us to the obstruction now the band is 6 inches the 6 inches between the bends so That'll be That'd be 27 and 7 8 right here Okay, so and I'm going to go all the way around with the marks Okay, so now we're to the obstruction itself Which is seven and a quarter inches, so that would be 41 and an eighth Right here, 41 and an 8. And I'm going to go all the way around with the marks. So this is 7 and a quarter.

And now we're going to go 6 more inches for the distance between the bends. So 47 and an 8. Right here. So there's the marks.

So I have four marks on this pipe and I'm going to start with this mark right here. Okay you see I have my arrow on the line. Okay and I'm going to be bending this way on the floor from my first bend 30 degrees then I'm going to take this off and switch this. Oh, and I want to point out, this part is called the hook.

This part right here is called the hook. The hook's pointing towards the middle of the bend. This is the middle of these bends right here. The hook points in. Okay, so I'm going to bend that 30 degrees, and then I'm going to take this off and flip it around.

and put my arrow right on the line okay and then this is going to be on the ground again I'm going to bend this 30 degrees that way so I have two 30 degree bends done on the ground with the hook pointing in both times the hook points in both times then I'll be doing the bends on the in the air and just they'll be right here The arrow will be on this line and I'll be doing this it'll be 30 degrees and it'll be in the air and then my last bend will be right here pointing towards the middle of the bend and I'm going to bend this 30 degrees. So I'm going to start with the two middle bends. on the ground with the hook pointing towards the middle and then I'm going to do the two outer bends in the air with the hook pointing towards the middle. So all four bends always remember the hook points towards the middle.

Here's a couple more bending heads this is called ductile iron it's made by Ideal and this is another aluminum head it's made by Klein. The reason I like the Ideal aluminum head better than the Klein aluminum head. This only has an arrow on one side whereas the Ideal has the arrow on both sides.

Okay now I'm ready to start bending and you see I'm on the third mark right there and the orange item on the pipe is a Klein digital level and that helps me to make the bends more accurately. Generally when the handle gets to about 90 degrees that should be a 30 degree bend. Now I'm checking my digital level and I'm having a little spring back. Okay, the spring back is going to be about two degrees.

That one was right on 30 degrees according to my digital level. Okay, I'm going to make one more bend on the ground. So I'm going to put my digital level right there. Now you got to get this one in the same plane.

And the way to do it is... You line up your handle with the pipe. Just sight down it. And now we're going to bend it until the handle is about 90 degrees.

I'm going to check my digital level, see how I did. Just a touch more. And that was right on 30 degrees. Both of those were right on 30 degrees.

Okay, so now we're going to make a couple bends in the air. And so you want to... grab this thing right there in the middle. That's the best place to grab it. It's going to want to slide around otherwise.

So okay I put it right there in the hook and you got you have to put that line right on the arrow. Now you got a sight. You have moved back and sight that thing right down the line and there I bend it to 30 degrees. Now you take it out you grab it right there see. And you switch it around.

See, I'm grabbing it right in the middle. That's a good point. Okay, now I'm going to put the arrow right on the mark again.

And I'm going to sight again. If you don't sight and get it right, you're going to get what's called a dog leg, which is a crooked bend. You don't want any dog legs.

So you sight it real good. And then there's 30 degrees right there. Okay. Now put it down on the ground and check it.

You can't quite see it. I got out of the camera there. It's just a touch off.

I'm going to give a little adjustment. And there it is. It's perfect. I decided down make sure you didn't get any dog legs and so I like that I like the bend and I put a little piece of white tape on one end so I remember what end goes there it actually says left on it that little piece of white tape okay so this fitting I've set up so it just slides over okay here's your marks right here you see the obstruction got right in the middle there right where it's supposed to be Between those two marks, so I got that lined up just right and you see the other two marks there For the bends so now I've tightened down the fittings and the one-hole strap And it all looks good and now I'm going to clean up the pencil marks That's why I did it in pencil so that you can clean them real well and make your work look professional See how much better it looks without Pencil marks or sharpie marks.

Now I did this four point saddle bend using 30 degree angles. You can use different angles like 22 and a half degrees, but you're going to have a longer bend. You're going to use up more space doing a 22 and a half degree bend. If you use 45 degree bends, then it'll be a shorter space, but it'll be a little harder to run your wires. So 30 degree bends a good compromise and a lot of people like to use the 30 degree bends for this kind of work.

I'll put links in my video description for the Klein magnetic 25 foot tape measure with conduit bending tables and for the Klein digital magnetic level. I'll also put links for Klein and Ideal conduit benders in the 1.5 inch, 3.25 inch and 1 inch sizes both in aluminum and in ductile iron. And I'll put a link for the Klein full brim hard hat. I'll also put links for Klein kneeling pads which really save wear and tear on your knees.

Thanks, I hope this video was helpful.

Transcript for:Four-Point Saddle Bend Guide

Transcript for:
Four-Point Saddle Bend Guide